The soup is just bursting with flavor, with loads of melted Swiss cheese, and a piece of garlic baguette bread on top, and broiled to an amazing easy yumminess.
When I hear someone order French Onion Soup in a restaurant all I think of is an elegant fancy-style soup with loads of delicious cheese.
The beef broth for a fabulous laced with caramelized onions and was invented in France sometime in the 18th century and really was peasant food plus made with stale bread.
It became modernized and through the years a popular menu item all over the world and certainly a great soup to add to your collection of recipes.
If you love Julia's recipe you may also like to view Julia's Steak Diane and Julia's Beef Bourguignon Recipe.
Scroll down to print our adapted French Onion Soup at the bottom of this post.
French Onion Soup
This is a flavorful beef broth loaded with onions and topped with a crunchy soup-soaked bread then topped with loads of melted cheese.
The whole pot can be used to top the soup with floating slices of bread and then baked in the oven until the cheese melts and then broiled, we choose to do individual servings for each guest or a family member.
The basic soup is super economical to make, we just made some simple revisions to the bread and added some garlic but still used the basic original recipe as written as a guideline.
Optional and Tip
- beef cubes sauteed in butter added to a meat onion soup
- mushrooms and soy sauce will add an Asian-flavored soup
- cubed boneless steak in the broth
- use vegetable broth for all vegetarian
- kale or fresh spinach leave
- sliced carrots
- fresh peas
- any kind of bread you prefer over baguette or French bread
- the key to the best soup is rich broth and caramelized onion
- beef stock is made with vegetables and bones, therefore, will produce a richer tasting beef stock whereas beef broth is made with beef with no bones and vegetables similar but lighter in flavors
More Recipes We Love
Julia's Adapted Steak Diane
Julia's Adapted Coquilles Saint Jacques
Our Best Soup Roundup
Julia Child's Adapted Ham Steak Madiera
Julia Child's(Adapted Boeuf a la Bourguignonne)
Shopping List Scroll to the printable recipe card for exact measurements
- beef broth or stock
- yellow onions
- brown sugar
- brandy
- granulated garlic powder
- white wine
- flour
- fresh parsley
- unsalted and salted butter
- flour, butter, olive oil
- salt pepper
- swiss shredded for garnish
- baguette bread toasted or another bread you prefer
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Comfort Soups
This quick and easy comfort soup is perfect to warm you up any time of the year.
The soup is hearty and full of delicious broth-soaked bread and if you walk into a restaurant and see someone eating this delight, being devoured as that melty dripping cheese will make your mouth water for some.
We also like to use our Tuscan Garlic Bread it will be a complete soup as well as the original recipe states.
We love all of Julia's recipes and she's a total genius when it comes to French cooking, our adapted version is delicious and the taste and melted cheese are our favorites along with the crusty herb bread.
It still was inspired by her wonderful 1960s television teachings which I watch over and over still today and we would be remiss not to give her all the credit for the fantastic soup recipe.
Julia Child's French Onion Soup
Yield: 12
Prep time: 20 MinCook time: 45 MinTotal time: 1 H & 5 M
Julia's recipes are exceptional and the best. We adapted the recipe of her French onion soup with a few additions. I added garlic and although perfect the way it's written we just added a few flavors.
Ingredients
- 5 to 6 cups of thin-sliced yellow onions
- 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3 tablespoons Cognac or Brandy
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon ground sage
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 cup white wine
- 6 cups beef stock or beef broth
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or more if needed
- Bread Garnish and Soup Toppings:
- melted salted butter for drizzling on top
- 1 or more teaspoons of granulated garlic powder or minced fresh garlic
- a sprinkle of parsley and dried oregano
- 1/4 cup or more grated Parmesan cheese for topping the bread
- 8 slices baguette or French bread (or Italian crusty bread) sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1 pound (16 ounces) of Gruyere or Swiss cheese, grated
Instructions
- In a deep soup pot, (if using cast iron put on low heat), add the olive oil and heat until it's hot.
- Add the unsalted butter and melt it in the olive oil add the onion.
- Cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes or until these are very tender and translucent however do not burn them (stirring occasionally).
- On medium heat, stir in the sugar, and salt and let these onions caramelize once they are golden brown.
- Again, set the heat to low temperature. and add the flour for around 2 minutes until this forms a thick paste (you may need 1 tablespoon more butter),
- Stir in 1 cup of beef stock or broth, and stir then add the wine, brandy, sage, bay leaf, and the rest of the beef stock and any seasonings, then higher the heat to medium.
- Once this comes to a boil reduce the heat to low again and simmer for 30 minutes.
- Slice some baguette bread or French bread into 1/2-inch thick slices.
- Drizzle them with olive oil, cheese, and Parmesan cheese and place them on a baking sheet.
- Bake this bread in a 325-degree oven for 7 minutes on each side or until it browns flipping it once add the garlic 2 minutes before this is done on one side.
- Season the soup with salt, and pepper if needed, and add the cognac.
- On a heavy-duty baking sheet place oven-proof ramekins for as many as you need for serving the soup.
- Ladle soup into ramekin individual bowls (oven proof), add some cheese, then a single layer of bread on top, and sprinkle the bread with Parmesan cheese, garlic, and herbs.
- Add a thick layer of shredded Swiss cheese to cover the bread thickly.
- Melt some butter and drizzle on the cheese.
- Broil the top of the cheese on low until this is brown and bubbling.
- Note: this is usually done for the whole pot in the oven for 30 minutes with bread and cheese on top then broiled, however, I do this individually and freeze the broth for another time.
Notes
Optional and Tip
- beef cubes sauteed in butter added to a meat onion soup
- mushrooms and soy sauce will add an Asian-flavored soup
- cubed boneless steak in the broth
- use vegetable broth for all vegetarian
- kale or fresh spinach leave
- sliced carrots
- fresh peas
- the key to the best soup is rich broth and caramelized onion
- any kind of bread you prefer over baguette or French bread
- beef stock is made with vegetables and bones, therefore, will produce a richer tasting beef stock whereas beef broth is made with beef with no bones and vegetables similar but lighter in flavors
Nutrition Facts
Calories
415.79Fat (grams)
21.74Sat. Fat (grams)
9.81Carbs (grams)
32.15Fiber (grams)
2.26Net carbs
29.89Sugar (grams)
5.45Protein (grams)
17.88Sodium (milligrams)
833.01Cholesterol (grams)
42.88
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